System and Method for Transferring Different Types of Streaming and Packetized Data Across an Ethernet Transmission Line Using a Frame and Packet Structure Demarcated with Ethernet Coding Violations

Abstract

A communication system, network, interface, and port architecture are provided for transporting different types of data across a network. The network can be arranged by connecting the ports in a daisy-chain fashion to achieve a ring architecture or topology. The network forwards data according to a specific network protocol, and nodes among the network can use a recovered clock from the bitstream to drive the transmitter and create a synchronous network even thought the network can receive Ethernet packets which are typically targeted for an asynchronous network. Non-compliant data, such as Ethernet data, can be sent as packets within a frame structure. The frame is synchronized to Ethernet coding violations used to signal the beginning of each frame, and each packet can be immediately followed by a packet coding violation. The frame and packet coding violations are represented as a sequence of 4B/5B codes that are not valid codes and, therefore, not present as Ethernet encoded data.

1 . A communication system, comprising: 
 a first node;    a second node;    a third node;    a first port coupled to the first node between two primary pairs of conductors and the first node for transferring non-streaming and streaming data synchronously between the first node and the second node; and    a second port coupled to the first node between two secondary pairs of conductors and the first node for transferring non-streaming and streaming data synchronously between the first node and the third node.    
   
   
       2 . The communication system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the non-streaming and streaming data are synchronized to a clock signal sourced from a crystal resonator coupled to only one of the first, second or third nodes.  
   
   
       3 . The communication system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein a clock signal is derived at the first, second and/or third node from edges of the non-streaming and streaming data.  
   
   
       4 . The communication system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the first port comprises a receiver and a driver, and wherein the receiver is configured to recover a clock signal from edges of the non-streaming and streaming data, and wherein the driver is configured to receive the clock signal and drive the non-streaming and streaming data synchronous with the recovered clock signal.  
   
   
       5 . The communication system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the first, second and third nodes each comprise a multimedia device selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, an audio/video receiver, a television, a compact disk (CD) player, a digital video device (DVD), acoustic speakers.  
   
   
       6 . The communication system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the first, second and third nodes are interconnected, and communicate exclusively, with each other using only the primary and secondary pairs of conductors.  
   
   
       7 . The communication system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the primary and secondary conductor pairs of conductors are twisted pairs of conductors.  
   
   
       8 . The communication system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the primary and secondary pairs of conductors receive the non-streaming data encoded using an Ethernet encoding protocol such as 4B/5B encoding.  
   
   
       9 . The communication system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the first, second and third nodes are coupled together in a daisy chain, yet each of the first, second and third nodes comprises at least two ports, wherein each port within the first, second and third nodes accommodates the transferal of bidirectional differential signals with multiplexers that convey information received on a receiver within one port to a transmitter of the same port or another port within the same node to effectuate a ring communication topology.  
   
   
       10 . A communication system, comprising: 
 two pairs of conductors linking a first node and a second node; and    a serial bitstream of differential signals bifurcated into frames of data and sent bidirectionally across the two pairs of conductors, with each frame beginning with a frame coding violation and each non-streaming packet of data within each frame beginning with a packet coding violation.    
   
   
       11 . The communication system as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the frame coding violation comprises two sets of three consecutive logic 0 voltage values separated by no more than two consecutive logic 1 voltage values.  
   
   
       12 . The communication system as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the packet coding violation comprises three consecutive logic 0 voltage values.  
   
   
       13 . The communication system as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the packet coding violation comprises three consecutive logic 0 voltage values followed by 4B/5B encoded data.  
   
   
       14 . The communication system as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the frame coding violation and the packet coding violation is not a code used in a 4B/5B encoding of data for Ethernet transmission.  
   
   
       15 . A method for transferring data, comprising: 
 forming a sequence of bits dissimilar from encoded data as a frame coding violation and another sequence of bits as a packet coding violation;    placing streaming and non-streaming data in two different time segments within a frame immediately after the frame coding violation and placing the non-streaming data immediately after the packet coding violation; and    transferring the frame of streaming and non-streaming data synchronized to a clock signal.    
   
   
       16 . The method as recited in  claim 15 , wherein said forming the frame coding violation comprises separating two sets of three consecutive logic 0 voltage values by no more than two consecutive logic 1 voltage values.  
   
   
       17 . The method as recited in  claim 15 , wherein said forming the packet coding violation comprises placing three consecutive logic 0 voltage values within a five-bit sequence.  
   
   
       18 . The method as recited in  claim 15 , further comprising clocking a multimedia device by recovering the clock signal from edges of the streaming and non-streaming data.  
   
   
       19 . The method as recited in  claim 15 , further comprising clocking a multimedia device by a crystal resonator coupled to the multimedia device.  
   
   
       20 . The method as recited in  claim 15 , wherein said transferring comprises sending the frame of streaming and non-streaming data to a plurality of nodes coupled together in a daisy chain, with each node having at least two ports for transferring differential signal bidirectionally among the plurality of nodes in a ring communication topology.